1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to machines for fabricating heat exchangers. More particularly, the present invention relates to a machine for bending links projecting from heat exchangers.
2. Disclosure Information
Plate-fin heat exchangers are well known in the art. In these types of heat exchangers, a plurality of elongated plates are joined together, such as through a lamination process to define a plurality of passageways for the movement of a fluid therethrough. Each of the passageways is formed by the inwardly facing surfaces of a pair of joined plates. The interior surfaces of the joined plates generally define a central fluid conducting section. The passageways are interconnected so that a fluid may flow through the plurality of joined plates forming the heat exchanger. As is also known in the art, conductive fin strips are located between outwardly facing surfaces of the pairs of joined plates. Heat exchangers of this type have particular utility as evaporators for air conditioning systems of motor vehicles.
It is known to manufacture these types of heat exchangers from a plurality of interconnected plate members, stamped from a sheet of deformable material. U.S. Pat. No. 5,507,338, assigned to the assignee of the present invention, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference, teaches one such method of folding a plurality of plate members in a zig-zag or bellows-like fashion to fabricate a heat exchanger core. A plurality of links interconnect the plate members. Upon folding, these links project from the heat exchanger core, making it difficult to stack cores one upon another without damaging an adjacent core. It would therefore be desirable to minimize the links and the amount the links project from the folded core.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a machine which can bend the tab members extending from the core against the core to minimize the damage to the heat exchanger and to surround components.